Heavy metals in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables in the Philippi horticultural area in the Western Cape Province of South Africa
Loading...
Date
2014
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer Verlag
Abstract
The aims of this study were to investigate the
extent of heavy metal contamination in the Philippi
horticultural area in the Western Cape Province, South
Africa. Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn
were determined in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables
in both winter and summer cropping seasons with
an ICP-AES and tested against certified standards.
Differences were found in heavy metal concentrations
between the winter and summer cropping seasons in the
irrigation water, soils and vegetables. Certain heavy
metals exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations
in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables produced
in South Africa. These toxic concentrations were
predominantly found in the summer cropping season for
the soils and in the crops produced in winter. It is thus
suggested that further studies are carried out in the
Philippi horticultural area to determine the sources of
the heavy metals to try and mitigate the inputs thereof
and therefore reduce the amount of heavy metals entering
the human food chain.
Description
Keywords
Heavy metals, Cadmium, Zinc, Lead, Vegetable farming, Irrigation
Citation
Malan, M. et al. (2014). Heavy metals in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables in the Philippi horticultural area in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 185: 4085